Problem Child
by Population1-13th
Summary: Protecting Earth from the Decepticons has never been easy, but things just start spiraling when an oddly familiar youngling turns up.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I wanted to ask Transformers to be mine last Valentine's day, but I was too afraid of the rejection. So, no, they are not mine, not even in the heart.

A/N: I recieved an email from my good friend, whom I have decided to call Death By Neckties to preserve her secret identity, containing an out line/one shot for this fiction and a demand that I adopt it. So I have fleshed it out into a multi chapter fic. This is based on the Prime continuity but it will never truel fit. Here it goes.

* * *

><p>Arcee was frustrated. Really, really frustrated. How had a normal scouting mission gone so terribly wrong? It had been same as always, running routine routes, making sure everything was 'normal', but it hadn't been normal. Far from normal actually. About half way through her route she had noticed a strong energy signature a bit off the road and had discovered that the area was crawling with Decepticons.<p>

They hadn't noticed her at first; she had made sure of that. They were up to something and she wanted to know what, she'd called in Bumblebee for back up, after all who better to find things out than their resident scout.

She didn't know when things had gone so wrong, but gone wrong they had. Again with the frustration.

::Ratchet! I need a ground bridge!:: she practically shouted over the comm. as she ducked behind a rock to escape the heavy fire. Static. "Bee, any luck?"

The scout ducked down behind the rock, _"They must be jamming us."_ He buzzed.

"Scrap. We'll have to get outside their perimeter to call for a bridge."

He nodded.

Arcee glanced over the rock looking for some way, anyway, out. There! She spotted what looked like a weak spot in the 'Cons defenses. Fewer guards right in front of a pass in the cliff walls. "Follow me." She swung herself over the rock and ducked missile fire and plasma bolts gunning right for the pass, body in overdrive.

It was easy enough to break past the guards, between Bumblebee and herself they'd taken down all the soldiers in front of their escape route. They stood backed up against the rock wall cycling their vents heavily, trying to cool their systems.

"Think we…lost 'em." Arcee gasped.

"Not quite, Autobot."

"_Oh slag."_ Bumblebee cursed, a rare occurrence for him, as he looked up.

Several Vehicons had them surrounded guns leveled at their heads. The two bots readied themselves for a fight to the finish. Arcee raised her arm blades as Bumblebee readied his fists—at this point it was either a close quarter fight or a guaranteed execution by firing squad.

So this is how it would end.

"Eat this!" Everyone, 'bots and 'cons alike looked around for the source for the exclamation. They didn't find it before the 'cons started dropping, granted the firing was a bit messy, missing as much as it hit, but it was taking down the Vehicons. Arcee and Bumblebee both took the opportunity to start attacking as well.

When the last 'Con went down Arcee became aware of a high pitched fan cycle above them. She looked up to find a small grey and silver face with a large pair of red optics staring down at them, upside down. "Hi." A youngling, she could tell by his voice if not his size and build from so far away, it was higher pitched than any adult mech's would be. He hadn't crawled from the Well of Allsparks yesterday, but he looked and sounded young…younger than any living Cybertronian should be.

"Hello." She said tentatively.

Bee looked equally weirded out as he waved a hello, with good reason, never having even seen a bot younger than himself.

"Who are you?" The youngling asked. He sounded familiar, Arcee decided. Why did he sound familiar?

"My name is Arcee," she replied calmly, "This is Bumblebee. Who are you?"

"Starscream" the youngling said softly.

"_Uh, What?"_ Bumblebee buzzed, optics going wide.

"Starscream," the small seeker repeated, smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know there are other Starscream as a youngling stories out there, but I'll be honest, I've never read any of them. This is still based on the ever lovely Death by Neckties.

* * *

><p>"So, what does this mean for us?" Bulkhead looked around at the others as he asked the question. Arcee, Ratchet, Prime, and Bulkhead all stood in the main part of the base for a meeting of sorts.<p>

"I do not know. Ratchet's initial scans tell us that Starscream is suffering from some sort of amnesia." Optimus stated.

"Exactly." Ratchet nodded as he brought a scan of Starscream's processor onto the computer screen. "It would explain why he didn't recognize Arcee—or any of us for that matter."

"But what if he's—" Ratchet cut Arcee off quickly.

"Faking it? The scans say otherwise." He indicated the screen. "The memories are not gone simply buried, this does not however account for his appearance."

Arcee glanced across the base to where to where Bumblebee was keeping an eye on their young guest. They had found some empty energon cubes which the grey and silver youngling was stacking to build a fort of sorts. Bumblebee—who still found the youngling's presence even more odd than the others did—had started off hanging back a bit but had, at some point, been roped into helping construct the fort.

"Strange." Arcee turned back to the others, "So your saying that the memories are still there, well, doesn't that mean they could just rise to the surface."

"I don't know what it would take for this to occur, but that is a likely scenario, yes."

"So we're just going to keep an ambush waiting to happen around the base?" Bulkhead snorted, "He's a 'con. Once a 'con, always a 'con."

"Everyone was a youngling once, Bulkhead." Optimus too threw a glace to where the fort was being built, he continued sadly, "Some of us more so than others."

Arcee sighed, "So we're keeping him."

"Yes." Optimus said softly, "Ratchet, is it at all possible that you could find out what it might take to refresh Starscream's memory. I would prefer to avoid that outcome for the time being."

"It's hard to say, but I'll see what I can do."

Starscream lifted the empty energon cube to finish a wall of their fort, then looked over at the taller bot. "What're they talking about over there?" He pointed over his shoulder at the group on the other side of the room.

Bumblebee shrugged, he knew full well of course, but Starscream didn't need to know that.

"Why don't you talk like the others do?"

"_There was an accident."_ Bumblebee buzzed in response.

"Oh." Starscream looked over his shoulder at the older bots. "They're talking about me, aren't they?"

Primus, did all younglings ask so many questions? Bumblebee suddenly remembered some of the questions he'd asked when he had been younger. So, this is what the receiving end had felt like. He simply shrugged again and put another block on the fort.

"So this place is your base right?"

"_Yes."_

"You think I'm weird don't you?"

Bumblebee was a bit startled by this question. _"A little."_ He admitted, _"It's not anything you did though, mostly I'm just not used to being around any one as young as you." _Mostly.

Starscream looked up at him, "Why's that?"

"Starscream." The youngling turned around to find Optimus looking at him. Behind Optimus Bulkhead stood rigidly, further back Arcee leaned against one of the walls, arms crossed, glaring. Ratchet was focused on one of the computers. "Would you like to stay here on base with our team?"

_As if there's any other place to go_, Arcee thought as she observed the surreal scene taking place before her.

The younling's eyes went wide at the question, innocent, too much so for a murderer. "Can I?"

Optimus nodded, "If you would like to."

Starscream bobbed his head in an enthusiastic nod. "We'll find somewhere for you to stay. In the mean time Ratchet would like to run a few more diagnostics."

"Okay." Starscream started toward the medic but half way across the room he paused and turned back to Optimus, "And sir?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"So," Arcee walked over to the others, "Who's going to explain this all to the kids?"

"He's what?" Jack's question reverberated off the walls. Arcee was glad that Starscream wasn't here while they were giving the explanations.

"Starscream is staying with us." She repeated.

"Uh, like evil Starscream? Second in command of the Decepticons Starscream? Tried to bring a zombie warrior back from the dead but trapped us in an alternate dimension with it, that Starscream?" Miko practically shouted.

"Yes and no." Ratchet answered.

"What do you mean, 'yes and no'?" Raf asked calmly.

"His memories have been buried, he remembers nothing. I believe humans call it amnesia."

"Okay…"

"There's something else too…he's a youngling."

"A what?"

"A youngling." Bulkhead interjected, "Like a kid."

"Wait." Jack said, "Your species has kids?"

"On Cybertron, new life comes from a sacred place, the Well of Allsparks." Ratchet explained. "These new bots are sparklings, like your human newborns and toddlers. As they grow and upgrade they move through being younglings, sub-adults, and finally into adulthood."

"So younglings are children and sub-adults are like teenagers?" Raf's question was answered by nods. "And if you're all adults, you must have been kids once too, right?" He smiled.

"Oh, got any pictures?" Miko asked.

"In a manner of speaking," Ratchet said to Miko, and to Raf, "We're not all technically adults, and not all of us were younglings."

The trio of humans looked at him confused.

Bumblebee stepped forward and raised his hand slightly. Ratchet nodded at him, "Bumblebee is still technically a sub adult."

"Dude, you're a teenager?" Miko looked at Bumblebee.

He nodded, _"I always thought it was kind of obvious."_

Raf, being the only human who understood was the only one to respond, "In hindsight it makes sense."

"Okay, but what about not having been a youngling?" Jack spoke up.

"Again: Bumblebee." Ratchet said

"When the war started the Well of Allsparks went dry until about half way through when it produced one last generation, the one Bee's from." Arcee explained.

"We called them War Sparks back on Cybertron." Bulkhead put in.

"What's that got to do with being a youngling?" Raf asked

"Younglings," Ratchet said, "and sparklings are not built to be able to fight or even defend themselves. I suppose Primus took that into account. The War Sparked Generation all came from the Well of Allsparks protoformed into frames that resembled sub adults at least, and heavily armored and armed ones at that."

"War took their chances at really being kids." Jack said softly. The humans glanced at Bumblebee who was now staring at his pedes.

"So, why?" Raf asked, everyone looked at him, startled out of their tangent lines of thought, "Why would Starscream be a youngling again?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Ratchet answered.

* * *

><p>AN 2: I took a bit of liberty with the Well of Allsparks which is in part explained in _Exodus_ by Alex Irvine, but I added a plausable explaination for sparklings. Bee never having been a sparkling is based the speculation I've heard as to wether all bots were born in adult frames in G1 or if it was a war time precaution due to the circumstances of the creation of the Arielbots and Protectobots. I don't really want to touch on that can of worms. Please don't kill me.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I never thought I'd get this up so quickly, but I'm some what adicted to writting this story. Ah, well. Not much happens in this chapter, but it leads into some really good stuff (in my opinion) for the next chapter. Without further ado:

* * *

><p>"Alright, Starscream," Ratchet began, finishing running a few scans on the youngling who was swinging his legs over the edge of the med berth he was sitting on, "Where are you from?" Ratchet knew the question may sound redundant, but it was imperative that they find out how much Starscream could recall.<p>

"Cybertron, right? I heard Arcee say something about Cybertron." Starscream smiled.

"Yes, but specifically."

"Uhm," the youngling's smile face fell, "I—I don't know."

"That's alright. What do you know about Cybertron?"

"It's where all the bots are from, right? The Well of Allsparks is there, and we all came from the Allspark to start with."

Ratchet nodded, "Did you know that before you heard Arcee talking?"

"No."

"Do you know why we left Cybertron?"

Starscream was clearly searching his memory deeply, "I should know that, shouldn't I?" He laughed nervously, "Why don't I know?"

"It's alright. We thought you might be having some difficulty remembering."

"Y—you did?"

"Yes. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Some kind of explosion then waking up in the middle of the woods. I wandered around for a day or so until I heard yelling, that's when I found Arcee and Bumblebee." He smiled slightly but it was plain to see he was bothered by not remembering more. "Ratchet, can I ask _you_ a question?"

Ratchet nodded. Starscream continued, "Why do I have a different insignia than all of you?"

Ratchet tried to hide his grimace. The kid was an enemy, but he was still a kid; Ratchet didn't want to have to lie to him, but—"Many fliers wear that insignia." He shrugged.

Starscream looked satisfied by the answer—for now anyway. He pushed himself off the med berth and began pacing. Ratchet raised an optic ridge, but let the youngling wander around. He had been around enough younglings over the millennia to know most of them were not want to sit still. He had known fewer fliers, limited to a few Arielbots, but knew they were as bad as younglings when they were forced to sit still, and this was as adults. He could only imagine how much more fidgety a youngling flier could be. Starscream needed to go outside for a while, a cure for what humans would call cabin fever.

"Starscream," Ratchet waited for the young seeker to face him before continuing, "Do you have an altmode yet?"

"Uh," Starscream's expression was one of embarrassment, "Not…yet."

"Right, someone will have to take you to find one—"

"Could Arcee take me?" The question was quick and hopeful.

"Well…"

"Please, if she's not busy, or something?"

"I'll ask her." Ratchet said, and over the comm. system— ::Arcee?::

::Yeah, Ratchet?::

::Starscream doesn't have an alt mode yet, someone will have to take him to find one.::

Arcee looked at the ceiling of her room, she knew what was coming, she didn't like it. ::You wouldn't be telling me this unless—::

::He asked if you'd take him.::

_I'm not a sparkling sitter. Why does it have to be me?_ She sighed through her vents. ::Is there anyone else?:: _Please, let there be someone else._

::Well, yes, but he seems rather attached to you.::

::Primus only knows why. Alright, alright, I'll take him.::

When Arcee rounded the corner into the main part of the base Starscream hung back for a moment before running over to meet her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"We're going to find me an alt mode, right?"

"Yup." She answered blankly. Starscream's smile faltered ever so slightly.

They walked through the ground bridge onto the outskirts of an airfield. For a while the pair scanned the assortment of jets in silence, speaking only to comment on the attributes of one plane or another.

Eventually, after Starscream had chosen a smallish jet that fit his youngling size, he plucked up enough courage to ask Arcee something that had been bothering him. "Hey, Arcee, why do you hate me?"

_Scrap_, she thought. "Does it seem like I hate you?"

"You don't seem to like me, but I like you. It's like I did something wrong, but I don't know what?"

"Look, I don't mean to make it seem like I hate you." _It just turns out that way._ "You remind me a bit of a bot I used to know who hurt someone I cared for."

"Oh…" Starscream looked subdued for a moment, but his curiosity didn't stay buried for long, "How do I remind you of—"

The ground a few feet from them was blown into a small crater. Both looked up and right at a group of flight capable Vehicons. Oh, wonderful.

Arcee grabbed Starscream's arm and started running. She transformed her arm to her gun and fired over her shoulder at the 'cons. She headed for a few rocks and dumped Starscream behind them, the youngling looked up at her in a state of shock, "Who're they?"

"Decepticons, part of the reason we left Cybertron in the first place. Stay down!" She turned and ran a short distance from the rocks—far enough so no stray shots would hit the youngling but close enough to protect him. She began firing at the Decepticons who had landed around her.

After the last of the Decepticons either fell or retreated, Arcee made her way over to the rocks where she'd left Starscream. She'd taken a few hits, but it was nothing too serious, especially not when one saw her opponents. The fight had favored her.

"Starscream." He jumped and looked up at Arcee. Primus, he was twitchy Arcee observed. Starscream was crouched behind the rocks a small youngling compatible weapon drawn, he looked as though he might either jump into the fray or take flight at any moment. "Are you alright?"

He pulled himself up to stand in front of her. He nodded looking a bit shell shocked.

She raised an optic ridge. "You can put your weapons away now."

He looked down at the gun in place of his hand and drew it away. "Arcee?" She met his gaze, "Can we go home now?

* * *

><p>Reviews are a much needed boost in self esteem.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: High School is determined to eat me, if it manages to do so, I hope it chokes on my bones.

Also, please be aware, Starscream's dream in this chapter is adaptations of canon events in _Exodus_ by Alex Irvine (if you haven't read it you should go do so), the prequel comic to Prime, and the show itself.

* * *

><p><em>He flew high breaking away from the ground, through cloud cover, and eventually through the atmosphere—ever onward towards the orbiting station. <em>His_ orbiting station. But something was wrong. It was quiet, the station was supposed to have researchers and guards, mechs working on it, this was not the case. _

_He glanced around, nothing save a piece of discarded metal lying in the corner. He returned his gaze to the metal and realized it looked like a bit of armor torn away from a body. Only when he shook the thought from his head and drew away from the metal did he notice the other figure in the room._

_The mech loomed over him smiling in a gruesome pointed way. "Starscream, I thought it was high time I paid your little base a visit."_

_As Starscream drew back ever so slightly the scene blurred, morphing. No longer was he standing on the cold metal floor of the station, rather he struck a victorious stance on the sand of a desert. And now he was the one looming. He stood over a mech kneeling on the ground and he held something long and limp—a severed arm!—in his hand as he laughed. The other mech was attempting to shield another figure, which he held in his arms, from both Starscream and another, bulkier, mech._

_The mech glared at him, hatred plain in his eyes, but gone were the bulky mech and the figure the mech had been holding. Instead he was beaten, dented, leaking energon, and flanked by two guards._

"_Scream, it's been a while." The mech coughed, expelling energon, "So, where's your master?"_

_Starscream leered, "Never mind him. I am my own master." He thrust his claws forward digging into the mech's chest plate, the mech cried out, groaning in pain, "Any more questions?" He drew his claw back._

_The shock on the mech's face was the only response he was given before the mech collapsed into the growing pool of his spilt energon._

"_Clean that up."_

Starscream yelped, bolting up out of recharge his optics wild. He cycled his vents rapidly, looking around the room in a panic. Every shadow jumped at him, come to kill him. He stifled the urge to cry out again, but not without difficulty, instead he whimpered. Everything was blurry, everything except the dead mech's face; it was the last thing he'd seen.

He had to get out of the room; the walls were suffocating him in the dark. He climbed from his recharge berth and crept through the door to his room. He only needed to see the sky.

Moving as silently as possible, Starscream made his way to the roof. He knew it was downtime, everyone else on base—except for whomever had monitor duty—would be in their quarters perhaps catching an odd bit of recharge, but he didn't want to risk meeting anyone. They'd ask him what was wrong and he didn't know the answer.

He looked up at the stars and felt better. The air was cooler, he wasn't being smothered, he could revel in the open spaces above him. Already the 'dream' was fading to an indistinguishable blur. A 'nightmare' that's all it was. He smiled ever so slightly as he regarded the light smattered heavens above him. Somewhere out there was the planet he'd been told he was from, Cybertron…

"Starscream," he jumped at the sound of his name, and turned nervously.

"A-Arcee, what're you doing out here?" She stood next to a small mound of stacked stones, her blue eyes glowing softly in the dark.

She placed he hands on her hips, "I could ask you the same thing, kid. Shouldn't you be getting some recharge?"

"I guess…" he mumbled, scuffing the ground with his foot.

Arcee raised an optic ridge. Ratchet had mentioned something about 'sky hunger' and Seekers just needing to be near the sky sometimes. She could understand that, in a way. She turned her gaze from the youngling up to the sky.

"Are you out here looking for Cybertron?" Starscream took a few steps towards her following her gaze to the sky.

"No." Her voice turned harder, "I'm visiting my partner." She gestured stones, which Starscream now realized were painstakingly, one could say lovingly, stacked. A monument… but it was rather small to be the resting place of a mech.

"He's under there?"

"What's left of him." The anger in her voice couldn't be missed and Starscream suddenly felt like an intruder, but he couldn't stop himself—he had to ask:

"W-what happened to him?"

"A Decepticon snuffed his spark. They defiled what was left, tainted him. The only pure part of him is here." She wouldn't look at him as she said it, he didn't want her to, the ways she spoke was frightening enough.

"Do you plan on avenging him?"

"Yes." She growled.

"You're angry. Are you angry at me?"

She merely sighed through her vents, calming herself. "You never told me why you were out here, kid."

"I had a bad dream." He looked at his peds.

_Dream? Oh scrap_, Arcee thought. The only way Cybertronians dreamt was through memories rising to the surface of an unconscious processor. _Not good_. "About what?" Arcee asked.

"I don't really remember, it's all blurry. There was this mech and I was standing over him, laughing, there was lots of energon. It was bad."

"Is that all you remember?" Starscream nodded in response.

"Alright. You'd better go back to your quarters before you fall into recharge standing up. You look tired."

"Goodnight, Arcee." He looked up at her, then at the memorial, "Goodnight, uh, sir?"

" 'Night." She said back. When she thought that Starscream was gone she slid to her knees next to the memorial resting her forehead against the stones. But Starscream wasn't gone, he saw how she slumped.

He also heard her whisper, "Why?"

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews are treasured.


	5. Chapter 5

"He thought it was a dream, Ratchet." Arcee's tone was quick and hushed, "Don't know where he came up with the idea, but he doesn't realize what it was."

"Do you recall what his 'dream' was about?"

"Something about spilt energon and a mech laying on the ground."

Ratchet's face turned dark, "Hm. Could have been any number of killings during the war. Even if it's not Cl—"

"Why now? Why would he start remembering?"

"It could just be a standard memory purge while in recharge, even if he doesn't remember while awake. Still, we should discuss this with the others on the chance he begins to remember more."

"Do we even want him to remember, do we really need another enemy?"

Ratchet shrugged, "I'm not sure we'll have a choice in the matter."

"A choice in what matter?" Optimus asked as he entered the main area of the base.

"The matter of Starscream's memory." Ratchet answered. "Apparently he had what he thought to be a dream last night."

"If he starts remembering more he could become a threat." Arcee hissed.

Optimus frowned, "It would be in our best interests to prepare for that possibility, however until we discover what caused his faulty memory we will not attempt to maintain the block unless necessary."

"But Optimus—"

"Neither will we tell him what he was. Starscream should have the chance to make decisions for himself regarding this second chance."

"So we do nothing?"

"We will continue as we have been and prepare for the future."

Arcee opened her mouth but before she could say what she had been intending to she was cut off by one of the sensors on the main computer sounding an alarm, "What is that?"

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked calmly.

"We've picked up an energon reading, most likely newly tapped by the Decepticons."

"What's that sound?" Arcee and Ratchet turned to find Starscream standing behind them.

"One of the sensor alarms." Ratchet answered, shutting down the alarm and beginning to pin point the coordinates of the new Energon mine even as he spoke.

"The computer find energon, docbot?" Bulkhead walked in with Bumblebee following behind.

"Yes, as it is our supplies are low, if we were to obtain energon from this location, even a small amount, it would help considerably."

"So we strike, right?" Arcee asked.

"Yes. We'll each take a different direction and converge on the center of the mine."

"Can I come?" Everyone turned to find Starscream staring up at them hopefully. Everyone turned once more to look at Optimus.

"No." Arcee said firmly.

"He _is_ just a youngling at the moment," Ratchet put in.

"So?" Starscream crossed his arms.

Arcee looked him in the optics, "Kid, you didn't handle it very well last time you were in a fight."

"But I can, I was surprised the first time, I want to show you that I can."

The room fell silent for a moment awaiting Optimus's decision on the matter. The Autobot leader looked Starscream once over and seemed to come to a decision. "Starscream, this is a dangerous mission, not a game."

"I know that."

"So long as you remain out of the fire and believe you can handle it I see no harm in allowing you to observe." Starscream smiled as Optimus continued, "Arcee, our young friend seems to have grown attached to you. This makes you the most logical choice for him to accompany. Will you allow it?"

Arcee frowned, she didn't want to have to deal with worrying about a youngling in the middle of battle, she sighed through her vents, "As long as he stays out of the way."

The youngling in question looked as though he wanted to say something, instead he kept his mouth shut and nodded, clearly happy. Arcee, for her part, fought back a groan, what was she getting herself into?

"Autobots," the ground bridge opened, "Roll out."

Arcee glanced around the rocks she was hiding behind into the mine. The Decepticons worked quickly—there was already a tunnel stretching into the rock wall, more in other places as well, where the others were positioned.

"So what's the plan?" Starscream asked.

"Optimus, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and I are going to strike the mine, get in, and get out, hopefully with some energon in tow. You are going to stay here."

"Fine." Starscream grumbled.

"Kid," Arcee began as she turned to look out from behind the rocks again, "you can't just…" They'd been spotted. Vehicons were turned in their direction and several were heading back toward them. "Scrap. Starscream, stay here."

She pushed herself up over the rocks, firing with one hand as she did. She hit the ground and began firing from both hands, ducking the return fire as she did.

::We've been compromised.:: She alerted the others over the comm.

::Copy.:: Optimus replied.

Arcee returned her full attention to the attacking Vehicons. She was outnumbered, probably outgunned, and had to worry about her life not being the only one at risk. She rushed them.

If she could just make it closer to the mine she could draw their fire and gain some higher ground, just a little farther—out of nowhere she was hit hard and fast. A hand wrapped around her neck.

"Well, well, Arcee." The other femme's voice was cold and cruel.

"Airachnid." Arcee snarled.

"I see you found my little mining operation."

"Wasn't hard to find."

"No I suppose not." Ariachnid threw a punch at Arcee, releasing her grip as she did so, and sending the Autobot sprawling. She pounced on top and proceeded to tighten her hold on Arcee's neck, laughing the entire time. "So glad you came to play."

"AIRACHNID!" A shrill, young voice screeched from behind the two femmes, just before Starscream launched himself at the Decepticon in question. In the blink of an optic Airachnid let go of Arcee, kicking her away, and caught Starscream by the arm.

"Would you like to play too, youngling? You might get hurt, you know."

Arcee pushed herself off the ground shakily and ran toward Airachnid. Airachnid, however, saw it coming and threw Starscream so as to have her hands free to deal with Arcee. The shocked youngling hit some rocks and crumpled long before he even had time to cry out. Arcee ducked past her nemesis and ran towards Starscream firing over her shoulder only once, hitting Airachnid with enough force to knock her to the ground.

::Ratchet, we need a bridge.::

She knelt beside Starscream, "Talk to me kid." He was leaking energon from a wound she couldn't detect and was battered in more ways than she could count. As the bridge opened she looked up and saw Airachnid managing to get up and move towards them. Quickly Arcee slung Starscream over her shoulder and ran through the bridge.

"This is pathetic." Arcee growled, "Why should I care? I shouldn't care."

"Relax, Arcee, he'll be fine." Ratchet didn't even look up from measuring the unconscious youngling's vitals.

"It shouldn't matter to me whether or not he'll be alright." Arcee paced as she'd been doing since they arrived on base.

"Yet it does."

She stopped, "He's the mech who killed Cliffjumper!"

"Is he really?" Ratchet finally looked up, "I don't trust him either Arcee, but he does not remember being that mech. He has a chance to be someone different."

"You sound like Optimus."

"Quiet, he's coming back online." Indeed, on the table Starscream's optics were on-lining. He moaned softly and turned his head to look at the two bots.

"Arcee, that Decepticon…Airachnid…I've seen her before, she's…familiar. But she's not the boss, is she? She works under a…Megatron, right?" he asked faintly before off-lining his optics again.

Ratchet and Arcee exchanged glances, realizing the same possibility:

_The more trauma he endures, the more he remembers._

* * *

><p><em>Reviews are much appreciated.<em>


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. There has been a civil war waging in my head, so fanfiction has taken cover to avoid being bombed out by the enemy. Luckily Death-By-Neckties gave me a good kick in the rear to get me to write literally yelling "CHAAAAAAPPTTTEEERRR SIIIIIIIIIIIIIX!" at me in the halls. So here it is.

I'm also sorry for not responding to reviews. I adore them. I squee whenever a new one appears and I want to thank you all. I just have a bad habit of falling off the face of the earth and landing on my head.

And finally I'm sorry for the long Author's Note. On with the story.

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

"B-but, Arcee, I can do it I promise, last time was a fluke. I—"

"No, Starscream." Starscream's wings sagged and he stared defiantly at the floor of the base. Arcee turned away from him and looked at Optimus. "So, what's our plan?"

"Arcee, Bumblebee, the two of you will scout from alternate ends of the mining operation. Bulkhead and I will await your arrival at the rendezvous coordinates at which point we will move as a team."

Bulkhead nodded, "No surprises this time."

Off to the side, Starscream crossed his arms, and grimaced. His wounds from the last time may have been patched up, but no one was going to let him near the field again until he was a sub adult at least.

The ground bridge booted up with its typical torrent of sound and light. The team stood in front of it for a moment before Arcee and Bumblebee transformed and drove through to begin scouting. Prime and Bulkhead followed on foot. "Roll out."

Ratchet closed the bridge behind them and began to work on something on the computer screens. He considered for a moment asking Starscream if he would like to help. Ratchet knew the youngling felt spited by his being left at base. Giving him something of interest to work on might help, "Starscream," Ratchet looked around but saw no signs of the mechling in question. "Starscream?" _Slag._ Miko had done thing far too many times for Ratchet not to know what had happened.

::Base to Optimus. We have a problem.::

Starscream looked over the ride he was crouched behind. Below he saw a brief flash of yellow and assumed Bumblebee had just passed by, scouting. Further away he could see two larger figures barely outlined against the darkness. Bumblebee, Optimus, Bulkhead—he looked over the area again. Where was Arcee?

"Looking for me?" _Apparently she's right behind me…_ he cringed. She did not sound happy. He turned to face her. Nope, defiantly not happy.

"A-Arcee. I, uh, I didn't see you there." He laughed a humorless, nervous laugh.

"You were supposed to stay at base."

Starscream scuffed the ground with his ped. Arcee looked livid. Somehow he felt he'd seen her angrier, but he couldn't remember how, or why. That didn't make this any better.

She crossed her arms. "Why?"

He looked up at her. "I wanted to see what was going on—I mean, even if you won't let me fight, I still wanted to come."

"This is how you get hurt, kid." Her voice softened for a moment then turned hard again. "We can't send you back to base, the light from the bridge would attract too much attention. I'm getting tired of having to say this so often. Starscream. Stay. Here."

Starscream nodded. He wasn't going to argue.

"And stay hidden." End of conversation.

Starscream crouched down as Arcee transformed and drove down the ridge to where the others were. He watched, eyes wide, as in the distance the team began to move silently toward the energon mine. A short time later he heard shouts from the vehicons inside and saw the glow of laser fire. It was eerie to be catching glimpses of the silent fight in the dark. The flashes he did see revealed the Autobots taking down vehicon after vehicon. He watched as though in a trance.

"Well, well. I wasn't expecting a trap to be sprung twice, but I'm not about to complain." The trace was broken and Starscream turned to find an all too familiar face. Airachnid laughed.

Starscream skidded backward before standing his ground. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, but you should be." She lunged at him and he ducked. Turning to face her yet again he dove into the fight. He just had to distract her long enough to get away and find the others, he knew he wouldn't win in a fight against her.

_Come on, think._ He had to find a way to get past her. She was comparitivly the same size to him as Arcee was to most of her opponents. He'd watched Arcee fight. How had she done it? He tried to sweep Airachnid's legs out from under her. It wasn't graceful, and it didn't flow. But it made her stumble for the moment Starscream needed.

He turned and ran down the ridge. His vents were working overtime to try to keep his systems from overheating as he moved. He bumped his injury against some rocks tearing at the welds, he winced, but didn't stop; all that mattered was getting away. He'd lied, he _was_ afraid. Who wouldn't be?

The sounds of the fight were audible now and the flashes of light brighter. He was so close.

Something large hit the ground in front of him with such force that he was knocked backward. He groaned and looked up and up and up at the hulking grey figure in front of him. The mech's smile was sharp and cruel. Starscream gasped, he knew this mech.

The mech reached out and grabbed Starscream's head slamming it back into the ground.

"L-Lord Megatron!" And everything went black.

Arcee made her way up the ridge Bulkhead in tow, Bumblebee and Optimus were still down at the location of the fight. Not that there was much point in that—the mine had been empty except for a few cubes of energon that had very clearly been placed there to give off a signal. The Decepticons had retreated part way through the fight. There was no reason to stay really.

As they reached the top of the ridge they were met with nothing but empty space and a few rocks, there were always rocks. "I thought you said the kid was here." Bulkhead said.

"He was." Arcee replied. "Starscream?" She called. An echo was her only response.

She turned on her heel and stormed down the ridge, part way down she stopped causing Bulkhead to almost run into her. She had caught a glimpse of something purple out of the corner of her eye. Spilt energon. Their fight hadn't reached this far up.

"Scrap"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I hope this chapter turned out well.

* * *

><p>"We can only assume he was taken by the Decepticons." Optimus stated, "In his current condition this could prove…damaging."<p>

"He was hurt, too. There was energon." Arcee's voice held a slight growl. "Can you track him, Ratchet?"

"Normally, no, as he's not an Autobot. Luckily, though, his signature is in the computer due to recent medical scans."

"Yes or no?" Arcee asked again.

"Yes." The coordinates came up on the screen, having been pin pointed by programs as he said it.

Arcee pulled the lever for the ground bridge. She turned on her heel, "I'm going."

"Arcee," Optimus said, "We will not stop you from doing what you have to do, but remember, if Starscream has regained his memories, he is a threat."

"I never forgot," Arcee didn't even turn around to answer, but before she could take another step, a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned to find Bumblebee behind her wearing a look of pure determination.

"_I'm coming too._"

"Bee—"

"_If he's remembered then he's a threat, if he hasn't—then he's just a youngling. I'm coming too._"

Arcee nodded.

He had seen energon spilled. He had been second in command of…something. He had been different. He _had_ known Airachnid and Lord Megatron. He had run away or flown. He had been abandoned, but why? He had fallen from the sky. He'd fought Arcee, that's when he'd seen her so angry. He remembered being a commander, cities the names of which he couldn't remember. Other seekers specifically one in black and another in blue, but he couldn't see their faces, they were blurry. Everything was blurry. And…C-Cluffjumper… he had been the one who had killed Arcee's partner. Why?

Starscream gasped through his vents as he came back online. He found himself strapped to a medical table that was at a slight vertical angle. He didn't like it, specifically that his wings were strapped down, too.

At least his captors had patched up his wounds, so there was that; they didn't plan on letting him leak to death. But then again, after everything he'd done over the vorns—or what he thought he remembered having done—the fate that awaited him was probably much worse.

The doors of the room slid open and a shadow fell over Starscream as he struggled against the bonds. "Starscream." Starscream's optics widened and focused on the leering mech in the door way "I see you are awake. Good."

"L-lord Megatron" Starscream stammered before steadying himself, "Why have you brought me here? What use am I to you?"

Megatron's smile was cold and cruel, "Hm. Remembering some things but not others?" He grabbed Starscream's face plates, forcing him to meet optics with the Decepticon Lord. "Why don't you tell me what you _do_ remember?"

Arcee turned to Bumblebee, motioning for him to follow her and stick close to the wall. According to Ratchet, Starscream should have been just down this corridor. She passed in front of a door, ducking beneath the windows mounted on it as she did. Bumblebee started to follow—"me here? What use am I to you?" Both Autobots froze. Arcee turned back toward the door and Bumblebee stood up slightly to peek through the window.

"Hm. Remembering some things but not others?" Bumblebee's optics widened as he slowly turned from the window to look at Arcee.

She nodded, then looked around. The kid was so close, but they couldn't just rush Megatron, they stood no chance in a fight, let alone without Starscream getting caught in the cross fire. Her optics fell on a duct of some sort near the floor. It would have been too small for most mechs, luckily she and Bumblebee were smaller.

"I-I don't know…" Starscream tried not to whimper.

Whimpering was the least of his problems, he cried out as Megatron slapped him across the face plates. "Ah, forgive me," Megatron didn't look the least bit sorry, "now what were you saying?"

Starscream looked up, eyes full of malice, "You know," he hissed, "I believe a few things _are _coming back to me."

Megatron prompted him with a glare and Starscream shrunk away, "You remember enough to fear me."

"Yes. A-and I remember… you were in charge, the leader. And a dead mech, I-I think I killed him, but he got back up because you did something to him… there were cities somewhere else… Cybertron? And I fought Arcee. And I fought you, and…and…"

"And what?"

"I didn't look like this."

"Would you like to know why you're different?" Megatron smirked, he didn't wait for an answer, "Tell me, Starscream, do you remember your treachery?"

Starscream only stared up at Megatron.

"Do you remember your constant attempts to take over the Decepticon ranks?"

The edge of Starscream's mouth trembled.

"Do you remember finally running away?"

Starscream said nothing and Megatron raised his hand once again, "Airachnid abandoned me and if I'd come back sooner or later you would have killed me," Starscream said quickly hoping to avoid a second blow.

"So you do remember. Do you also remember coming back?"

_Starscream was dragged along the corridor by several vehicons. He struggled slightly, but it hurt too much. The vehicons deposited him on a medical berth, strapped him down, and left. Lord Megatron entered the room. "Well, Starscream—"_

"I-I think so. What does this have to do with how I look?"

Arcee and Bumblebee crouched down inside the duct and peered through a vent. Megatron stood between them and Starscream with his back to them. They could just barely see Starscream. But they heard everything.

"I-I don't know…" Both Autobots flinched at the sound of Megatron's hand hitting Starscream. Arcee gritted her denta and put an arm out in front of Bumblebee who looked ready to burst out of hiding and attack. They had to wait until there was even the slightest chance they could get away safely. It was going to be a long wait.

"Yes. A-and I remember… you were in charge, the leader. And a dead mech, I-I think I killed him, but he got back up because you did something to him…"

"Cliffjumper…" Arcee whispered. Bumblebee put a hand on her shoulder but said nothing.

"Would you like to know why you're different?" Arcee leaned forward, listening. "Tell me, Starscream, do you remember your treachery?"

Arcee listened as Megatron pressed Starscream with more questions finally ending when Starscream asked, "What does this have to do with how I look?"

Megatron laughed, "Everything. You see, Starscream, even for all that treachery, you were worth something. You were a competent fighter, a decent second in command, if not a loyal one, it might have been worth it to kill you, but there were more creative ways to keep you around."

Arcee raised an optic ridge. _Creative?_

"Do you recall—no, you probably don't—during the war, when we were still on Cybertron, the final generation born from the Well of Allsparks." Arcee and Bumblebee exchanged glances. "The entirety, or near enough, of that generation devoted themselves to the Autobots. They were raised with Autobot ideals in mind. No one has ever been raised as a Decepticon."

There was a pause in which the confusion was palpable before Megatron continued. "You see, Starscream, I decided to use you for a little…experiment. I wanted a warrior with your gifts, but none of the unfortunate drawbacks of your character. I would get what I wanted, with the added benefit of seeing what would happen if someone was raised as a Decepticon.

"I rebuilt you as a youngling. I replaced your programming to be that of a youngling—they are much easier to control and convince." Bumblebee's fists clenched

"Easy." Arcee hissed, "Easy, Bee."

Megatron continued: "I buried most of your memories in your sub-processor, it might have become useful to let you remember a few things at some point, but I see now that your youngling processor has muddled them."

"I-I-I don't understand, Lord Megatron." Arcee's optics flew to Starscream as he stuttered.

"What's not to understand, dear Starscream? I was going to build a perfect soldier, but something went wrong, you panicked and tried to get away. In the process you further muddled your processor and set back our work."

Megatron took a step toward Starscream, "It seems as though we'll just have to start over."

* * *

><p>Reviews are cause of much rejoicing (yay)<p> 


End file.
